#WrestleGuatemalaCity

Cuatro Países Recogen Múltiples Campeonas de Estilo Libre Femenina

By Taylor Miller

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala – Cuatro países ganaron más que una campeona en la acción de jueves del Campeonato Panamericano Juvenil en la Ciudad de Guatemala.

USA tuvo tres campeones en el estilo libre femenina, mientras Brasil, Colombia y Cuba ganaron dos campeonas cada uno.

Los Estados Unidos ganó el título del equipo con 210 puntos. En segundo lugar fue Canadá con 134 puntos y Brasil terminó en tercer lugar con 102 puntos.

Final team standings
1. USA – 210
2. Canada – 134
3. Brazil – 102
4. Ecuador – 72
5. Cuba – 70
6. Colombia – 50
7. Peru – 42
8. Panama – 31
9. Guatemala – 24
10. Argentina – 22

50 kg: Lucia YEPEZ GUZMAN (ECU) fue impresionante con tres victorias de puesta espalda y una victoria por decisión. En los finales Yépez derrotó a la Campeona Olímpica Juvenil y Campeona Mundial en la categoría cadetes Emily SHILSON (USA), 5-4. Es su tercer título panamericano y primero en el nivel juvenil.

GOLD – Lucia YEPEZ GUZMAN (ECU) df. Emily SHILSON (USA), 5-4
BRONZE – Evelyn MATOS SANTOS (BRA) df. Alexia SEAL (CAN), fall 2:27

53 kg: Laura HERIN AVILA (CUB) ganó el oro en 53 kg. Derrotó a la medallista de bronce mundial Tiare IKEI (USA) en su final combate, 10-0.

GOLD – Laura HERIN AVILA (CUB)
SILVER – Tiare IKEI (USA)
BRONZE – Becky CORNEJO MUNOZ (ECU)

55 kg: Alisha HOWK (USA) fue la primera campeona de los Estados Unidos de la noche. Dos de sus cuatro victorias fueron por puesta espalda.

GOLD – Alisha HOWK (USA)
SILVER - Nathaly HERRERA HUACRE (PER)
BRONZE - Virginie KAZE GASCON (CAN)

57 kg: Ana PEREIRA FRANCA (BRA) gano el primer oro del noche para Brasil. Nadie pudo marcarle puntos durante todo el torneo.

GOLD – Ana PEREIRA FRANCA (BRA)
SILVER – Gabrielle SKIDMORE (USA)
BRONZE – Jolie BRISCO (CAN)

59 kg: Katherine RENTERIA CUERO (COL) repitió como campeona panamericana juvenil. Ella recibió la bota de oro por ser la luchadora más destacada del torneo. Ganó cuatro combates con dos puestas espaldas y dos superioridades técnicas.  

GOLD – Katherine RENTERIA CUERO (COL)
SILVER – Emma PARKER (CAN)
BRONZE – Mia MACALUSO (USA)

62 kg: Dayselis RODRIGUEZ GARCIA (CUB) ganó el oro en su primera competencia panamericana. En su final lucha, Rodríguez ganó contra Meiriele CHARAMBA SANTOS HORA (BRA) por puesta espaldas.

GOLD – Dayselis RODRIGUEZ GARCIA (CUB)
SILVER – Alex LILES (USA)
BRONZE – Meiriele CHARAMBA SANTOS HORA (BRA)

65 kg: Cara BROADUS (CAN) tuvo un día fuerte con dos victorias por puesta espalda para ganar su primer título panamericano. Ella fue la segunda campeona de USA.

GOLD – Cara BROADUS (USA)
SILVER – Jamilex CUMBICOS CASTILLO (ECU)
BRONZE – Katie MULKAY (CAN)

68 kg: La segunda campeona brasileña fue Thamires MARTINS MACHADO (BRA). Todas de sus victorias fueron por superioridad técnica. Ha mejorado mucho desde su último torneo panamericano, donde resulto en el sexto lugar en 2017.

GOLD – Thamires MARTINS MACHADO (BRA)
SILVER – Alma MENDOZA (USA)
BRONZE – Berit JOHNSON (CAN)

72 kg: Tatiana RENTERIA (COL) ganó el segundo oro para Colombia. En su final combate, derrotó a Dymond GUILFORD (USA) con una acción de cinco puntos.

GOLD – Tatiana RENTERIA (COL)
SILVER – Dymond GUILFORD (USA)
BRONZE – Lily FRENCH (CAN)

76 kg: Kenya-Lee SLOAN (USA) fue la tercera campeona estadounidense. En camino a su medalla de oro, Sloan derrotó a la Campeona Olímpica Juvenil Milaimys MARIN POTRILLE (CUB) en la cuarta ronda por puesta espalda.

GOLD – Kenya-Lee SLOAN (USA)
SILVER – Milaimys MARIN POTRILLE (CUB)
BRONZE – Jasmine THEBEAU (CAN)

#WrestleBelgrade

Aitmukhan: From volunteer at Worlds to Kazakhstan's first world champ

By Vinay Siwach

BELGRADE, Serbia (September 19) -- Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ) was hoping to become Kazakhstan's first-ever Freestyle world champion when he reached the 65kg final at the World Championships in 2019. He failed after losing to Gazdhimurad RASHIDOV.

In that final, Rashidov took a bleeding timeout. A volunteer, Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ), ran out to clean the blood dropped on the mat. Little did Niyazbekov or Kazakhstan know that the tall volunteer would go on to achieve what Niyazbekov failed to.

Born in Kyzyltu, a village with only 600 people in the northern region of Kazakhstan, Aitmukhan became the central Asian country's first-ever world champion in Freestyle on Monday as he defeated Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) in the 92kg final in Belgrade, Serbia.

In a thrilling final, Aitmukhan made a comeback after being down 2-0. He scored a stepout and caution with 30 seconds left. His criteria lead was threatened by Nurmagomedov in the final second when he almost scored a pushout. But Aitmukhan pushed the Azerbaijan wrestler out of bounds and won 6-2.

"The final match was very intense and tough," Aitmukhan said. "I noticed that he was getting tired. I used that moment and snatched the victory. We work hard, but all the success comes from God."

This victory was after five other wrestlers from Kazakhstan had tried to win the elusive Freestyle gold in the country's wrestling history to check out another box. With a Freestyle world champion, Kazakhstan is now without a world champion only in Women's Wrestling.

Aitmukhan's gold medal was also the first for Kazakhstan at the World Championships since Mkhitar MANUKYAN's (KAZ) won the last one in 1999 in Greco-Roman.

"This victory is the biggest in my life," Aitmukhan said. "I’ve been working for it for so many years. I would like to dedicate this win to my country and to my grandmother, she would have been 81 years old today [Monday]. But she passed away 3 years ago. This victory means a lot to me."

Back in 2019, Aitmukhan was the fourth-placer at the World School Combat Games and later won bronze at the U15 Asian Championships. He competed at the U23 Asian Championships as a 17-year-old and won gold at 92kg. Four months later, he was at the U23 World Championships but lost to Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI) in the first round and to Feyzulla AKTURK (TUR) in the bronze medal bout. Akturk also defeated him in the bronze medal bout at the 2023 Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series.

But as fate would have it, he would return to Astana in April this year, for the Asian Championships and enter the final. The 19-year-old finished with a silver medal against another teenager Arash YOSHIDA (JPN). He stepped on the top of the podium at the U23 Asian Championships before adding bronze at the Budapest Ranking Series. In an agonizing close U20 World Championships final in Amman in August, he finished with a silver medal.

The run in Belgrade saw him beat European champion Akturk 11-0 in the quarterfinals and returning bronze medalist Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO) 8-1 in the semifinals.

For a wrestler who began only in 2014, the success meant that he was on the path to achieving something historic. Ironically, he had no liking for the sport as well.

"My dad made me wrestle by force nine years ago," he said. "I didn’t want to train at all, by the he made me do that. And then I liked it. And now, 9 years later I am a world champion, the first one in Kazakh history. I think it’s not a bad result for a 19-year-old."

The losses at the Asian and U20 World Championships fueled Aitmukhan's effort to win the gold in Belgrade.

"In the Asian championships final and in U20 Worlds, there was that moment when I had to push myself. But that wasn’t enough," he said. "This time I felt the same during the match. I realized that if I didn’t do it now, I might not ever get this chance again. So, I tried my hardest and I did it."

Now that one goal is achieved, Rizabek will move to the Olympic weight class of 97kg. 

"We’ve decided that it’s the last world championships in this weight class, next year I’ll move up to the Olympic weight 97kg," he said. "I’ll wrestle for an Olympic spot. I will try to become an Olympic champion."